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Education in Ancient India c10.s2: Military Education

Education in Ancient India c10.s2

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Military Education

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Vedic Period: During the Vedic period the military profession must have been a popular one, as the Aryans were engaged in subjugating the non-Aryans (*dasyus*) and establishing their supremacy in the country. We have however no information as to how military education was imparted. The superiority in horsemanship and chariot-fighting constituted the key to the Aryan success; considerable time must therefore have been devoted to give proper training in these subjects to the members of the fighting force. Chariot races, which were very popular in the age, must have played an important part in increasing the military efficiency of the chariot corps. Practice in the use of the bow and the arrow, the shield, the mace and the spear, which were the main offensive and defensive weapons of the age, must have played an important part in the training of the infantry.

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Non-official Training Agencies: In modern times military training is usually given only by the state authorities when recruits join the army. Such was not the case in ancient India. The average citizen and villager was expected to be able to defend his own hearth and home; the *Arthaśāstra* expressly lays down that every village ought to be able to defend itself (II. 34). Villagers and citizens therefore had to make their own arrangements to get the necessary facility in the use of the weapons of the age in order to be ready for any eventuality. There were no military schools as such for this purpose; with the voluntary help of the elderly experts in the village, most of its youths could be trained in the use of the bow and the arrow, the *lathi* and the lance. That such was actually the case in several parts of India would become quite clear from the accounts of Alexander's invasion, as given by the Greek historians. In several places the Macedonian hero was opposed not so much by state forces as by the whole population in arms.¹ There can be no doubt that in many of the republican states of the Punjab, e. g. the Kaṭhas, the Mālavas, the Sibis, etc., every adult used to receive military training of a fairly high order. Probably the same was the case under monarchies, though perhaps to a less degree. Many villages had developed high military traditions and used to be exempted from taxation on agreeing to supply a certain quota to the army.²

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¹ Mc. Crindle, *Ancient India, Its Invasion by Alexander the Great*, p. 140.

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² *Arthaśāstra*, IX. 1

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Military Schools :—There were also some cities in the country, famous as centres of military training. Taxila, situated in the North-Western Frontier Province, had naturally become a centre of military training. Kshatriyas and Brahmanas from all over the country used to go to this frontier city for getting mastery in the military profession. In one military college of this city there were 103 princes receiving training in the different branches of the military art.³ Unfortunately we get no information about the management of this college, nor do we know whether it was a private or a state institution. Probably the former was the case.

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³ Sutasoma Jātaka, No. 222

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Professional Military Coaches :—From about the 5th century B. C. big empires began to be built up in ancient India, and soon thereafter the country came into contact with the disciplined soldiers of the Greek army. This gave an impetus to intensive military training and many enterprising captains began to start private military coaching classes with a view to supply highly trained soldiers to the state. Many such captains existed as early as the 2nd century B. C.; they used to supply trained soldiers to kings and receive in return from them lands, money, horses, etc. by way of reward.¹ Targets of clay or stuffed human figures were used to teach accurate aiming. A 9th century inscription from the Deccan also refers to a military captain, who is described as a marvel in training horses²; it is not however known whether this officer was conducting a private class or whether he was a regular professor in a military college maintained by the Rāṣṭrakūṭa administration.

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¹ Mil. Pan., Vol. II, pp. 135-4

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² E. I., XIII, p. 187.

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Conclusion :—The general impression left by the literary and epigraphical evidence of the 1st millennium A.D. is that a good deal of preliminary military training was given almost universally in all villages under the aegis of the village Panchayats. Organised institutions for military training probably did not exist in moffusil villages. Retired members of the state hereditary forces and local experts used to organise and manage military classes in their own villages, which were attended by most of the able-bodied adults in the locality. Further training was imparted by adventurous captains and final touches were given after the enlistment of the soldier in the state army in daily drills. It would appear that the weakness of the Hindu military machine lay in too much reliance being placed upon the training received by soldiers as militia men. This training, while quite sufficient to meet the needs of local disturbances, was inadequate to withstand regularly trained armies.

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Education of Princes :—A few words may be conveniently said here about the education of princes. In the early period we find kings sending their sons to distant centres of education like Taxila to receive education there more or less like commoners. But from about the 3rd century B. C. it became the usual practice to establish special schools for the education of the scions of the royal family.¹ Sons and wards of ministers and high officers of the state were also permitted to join these schools, as it was realised that suitable companions and mutual competition were necessary to ensure satisfactory results. The Royal School was usually located in the vicinity of the capital. It consisted of several spacious halls, each suitable for its special purpose. Gymnasium, swimming pools and extensive grounds for military exercises were provided. Experts were recruited from all over the country to teach different subjects. The curriculum included a study of the Vedas and philosophy, but naturally only such knowledge of these subjects was imparted as was necessary for general culture. Special attention was paid to the study of history, economics, politics, administration, and civil and criminal law. Lectures on these subjects were delivered usually in the afternoon, the morning time being devoted to the athletic and military exercises. Princes were expected to be experts in the use of different arms like the sword, the lance and the bow and arrow. Tournaments and hunting parties were often organised to test their skill. Fine arts like music and painting were also taught. Students in these royal schools used to stay in the boarding houses; their parents used to go there occasionally to see them and find out how they were progressing. The school course terminated usually at the end of the 16th year, when princes were allowed to marry. Though after this time, they would usually leave the boarding and begin to stay in the palace with their family, their education would not terminate. Training in actual administration would begin after this period and last for about seven or eight years. At the age of 24 the education would become fully complete and princes were then regarded as eligible to become heir-apparents.

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¹ Arthas'āstra, I, Kādambarī, p. 149,

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